In the Senate, the communist group and RN senators announce to vote against the agreement with Ukraine
“Vladimir Putin’s military aggression is unjustifiable,” declared communist senator Cécile Cukierman on Wednesday, denouncing “warmongering propaganda” of the government, and recalling that his group will vote against. For the senator, the agreement signed between France and Ukraine suffers from a “absence of clear limits as to France’s military commitment” and considers Ukraine’s membership in NATO, “casus belli for Russia”. For Ms. Cukierman, this is a “executive drift placing France on the verge of belligerence”. Faced with a nuclear power, “certain strategies should be excluded”, she estimated.
For National Rally Senator Christopher Szczurek, Vladimir Putin’s war “is a war of aggression” and the “French people must stand alongside the Ukrainian people”. However, the senator from Pas-de-Calais fears that France will take the risk of “cobelligerence”. “This agreement does not seem essential to us to continue supporting Ukraine” the senator continued.
For the president of the Les Républicains group, Bruno Retailleau, this vote is a “vote of support for Ukraine (…), in no case a vote of support for the President of the Republic”.
Mr. Retailleau expressed his ” worry “ regarding the remarks of the President of the Republic concerning a possible sending of troops to Ukraine, and denounced a “inappropriate mix between foreign policy and domestic policy”. He calls for reconciliation “solidarity” And ” reality “recalling that, for his group, Ukraine’s accession to the Union or NATO is not up for grabs. “the agenda”. “Our vote is a vote of support for Ukraine, and in no case a vote of support for the President of the Republic”insisted the senator from Vendée again.
Centrist senator Philippe Folliot recalls that his group is “favorable” support for Ukraine put to the vote, however criticizing the Prime Minister for not having fixed “limits”. For Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, member of the centrist group Rally of Democrats, Progressives and Independents (RDPI), “you must have the fortitude not to show limits” facing the adversary, and “this is why the RDPI group will vote for [le soutien à l’Ukraine] “.
Claude Malhuret, senator from Allier and president of the Les Indépendants group, denounced “Putin’s troops in France” who voted against the agreement in the Assembly on Tuesday or who abstained, repeatedly using the term “collaborators” of Putin. As for André Guiol, senator from Var and member of the European Democratic and Social Rally (RDSE) group, he considered that France’s interest was to ” pursue “ his support for Ukraine.
At the end of the debate, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné assured that “this agreement is an agreement for peace”. “Peace is Ukraine asking for it, with us” continued Mr. Séjourné. The agreement with Ukraine “is not a hidden membership agreement”neither to the European Union nor to NATO, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also recalled.
The Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, for his part, recalled the contours of the “battle from the rear” mentioned by Bruno Retailleau, which is, for the minister, a “industrial battle”listing the ” efforts “ provided by the sector.